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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Melbourne?

Ask Dr Jim Chiropractor Bay Street Port Melbourne Practitioner

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Melbourne sufferers?

Carpal tunnel syndrome, melbourne sufferers, is when the median nerve of the hand is compressed by a ligament in the front of the wrist called the flexor reticulum. It is the most common peripheral nerve complaint that presents to Chiropractors and is usually caused by repetitive strain injuries (RSI) such as typing, massaging and many other repetitive actions. Women outnumber men by about 3 to 1 in the number of complaints that have presented to Melbourne Chiropractic Clinic over 30 years.

As you can see from the diagram above true carpal tunnel syndrome only affects the thumb, index finger and middle finger. This is because the median nerve of the hand which underlies the Carpal Tunnel only supplies the first 3 fingers of the hand. The little finger and ring finger are supplied by a separate nerve called the ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve does not travel through the carpal tunnel.

If you have numbness and tingling in the little finger something else is causing that nerve blockage. Unfortunately, this does not cancel out the possibility that you may also suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome.

The first step is to try and locate where the nerve blockage is occurring and what activities might be causing inflammation build-up in the area. In very severe cases, where the muscles have begun to get smaller (atrophy), a nerve conduction study may be necessary.

Chiropractic adjustments to the carpal bones of the hand and stretching the flexor retinaculum ligament can be very helpful in reducing the pressure in the carpal tunnel of the hand.

Though unexpected, with symptoms that may reflect carpal tunnel syndrome we also have a close look at the nerve bundle coming out of the neck called the brachial plexus ( have a look at the diagram below).

The interesting thing with nerves is that when they are irritated further up in the body, such as in the neck and shoulder, they are more prone to having problems further down.

This is known as double crush syndrome and it is one of the reasons that chiropractic gets superior results when looking at nerve entrapment. Chiropractic looks at the entire course of the nerves, not just where the pain is located.

To ensure that chiropractic modifications are permanent the treatment must be complimented with home exercises and the modification of certain activities. These days, there are many ergonomic devices around that can make your life a lot easier.

One such example is a brace that fits over the front of the keyboard to reduce the stress on the hands when typing at an awkward angle.

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, melbourne sufferers at Melbourne Chiropractic has yielded some very pleasing results, with some patients not having to undergo painful and risky surgery.

The earlier you treat carpal tunnel syndrome with conservative therapy and activity modification, the higher the chance of avoiding surgery.